scholarly journals Parked and Operating Loads Analysis in the Aerodynamic Design of Multi-megawatt-scale Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Sadman Sakib ◽  
D. Todd Griffith
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Lateral Force ◽  
Aerodynamic Design ◽  
Power Performance ◽  
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Loads Analysis

Abstract. A good understanding of aerodynamic loading is essential in the design of vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) to properly capture design loads and to estimate the power production. This paper presents a comprehensive aerodynamic design study for a 5 MW Darrieus offshore VAWT in the context of multi-megawatt floating VAWTs. This study systematically analyzes the effect of different, important design variables including the number of blades (N), aspect ratio (AR) and blade tapering in a comprehensive loads analysis of both the parked and operating aerodynamic loads including turbine power performance analysis. Number of blades (N) is studied for 2- and 3-bladed turbines, aspect ratio is defined as ratio of rotor height (H) and rotor diameter (D) and studied for values from 0.5 to 1.5, and blade tapering is applied by means of adding solidity to the blades towards blade root ends, which affects aerodynamic and structural performance. Analyses were carried out using a three-dimensional vortex model named CACTUS (Code for Axial and Crossflow TUrbine Simulation) to evaluate both instantaneous azimuthal parameters as well as integral parameters, such as loads (thrust force, lateral force, and torque loading) and power. Parked loading is a major concern for VAWTs, thus this work presents a broad evaluation of parked loads for the design variables noted above. This study also illustrates that during the operation of a turbine, lateral loads are on par with thrust loads, which will significantly affect the structural sizing of rotor and platform & mooring components.

FloVAWT: Progress on the Development of a Coupled Model of Dynamics for Floating Offshore Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Collu ◽  
Michael Borg ◽  
Andrew Shires ◽  
Feargal P. Brennan
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Potential Method ◽  
Vertical Axis Wind Turbine ◽  
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines ◽  
Wind Profiles ◽  
Gyroscopic Effects

In the present article, progress on the development of an aero-hydro-servo-elastic coupled model of dynamics for floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) is presented, called FloVAWT (Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine). Aerodynamics is based on Paraschivoiu’s Double-Multiple Streamtube (DMST) model [1] [2], relying on blade element momentum (BEM) theory, but also taking into account three-dimensional effects, dynamic stall, and unsteady wind profiles and platform motions. Hydrodynamics is modelled with a time domain seakeeping model [3], based on hydrodynamic coefficients estimated with a frequency analysis potential method. In this first phase of the research program, the system is considered a rigid body. The mooring system is represented through a user defined force-displacement relationship. Due to the lack of experimental data on offshore floating VAWTs, the model has initially been validated by taking each module separately and comparing it against known experimental data, showing good agreement. The capabilities of the program are illustrated through a case study, giving an insight on the relative importance of aerodynamics loads and gyroscopic effects with respect to hydrodynamic load effects.

Time-Resolved Experimental Characterization of the Wakes Shed by H-Shaped and Troposkien Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Persico ◽  
Vincenzo Dossena ◽  
Berardo Paradiso ◽  
Lorenzo Battisti ◽  
Alessandra Brighenti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Speed Ratio ◽  
Local Dynamic ◽  
Performance Measurements ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines ◽  
Blade Section

In this paper, the aerodynamics of two vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are discussed, on the basis of a wide set of experiments performed at Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy. A H-shaped and a Troposkien Darrieus turbine for microgeneration, featuring the same swept area and blade section, are tested at full-scale. Performance measurements show that the Troposkien rotor outperforms the H-shaped turbine, thanks to the larger midspan section of the Troposkien rotor and to the nonaerodynamic struts of the H-shaped rotor. These features are consistent with the character of the wakes shed by the turbines, measured by means of hot wire anemometry on several surfaces downstream of the models. The H-shape and Troposkien turbine wakes exhibit relevant differences in the three-dimensional morphology and unsteady evolution. In particular, large-scale vortices dominate the tip region of the wake shed by the H-shape turbine; these vortices pulsate significantly during the period, due to the periodic fluctuation of the blade aerodynamic loading. Conversely, the highly tapered shape of the Troposkien rotor not only prevents the onset of tip vortices, but also induces a dramatic spanwise reduction of tip speed ratio (TSR), promoting the onset of local dynamic stall marked by high periodic and turbulent unsteadiness in the tip region of the wake. The way in which these mechanisms affect the wake evolution and mixing process for the two classes of turbines is investigated for different tip speed ratios, highlighting some relevant implications in the framework of wind energy exploitation.

scholarly journals Actuator cylinder theory for multiple vertical axis wind turbines

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Ning
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Power Loss ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Wake Interactions

Abstract. Actuator cylinder theory is an effective approach for analyzing the aerodynamic performance of vertical axis wind turbines at a conceptual design level. Existing actuator cylinder theory can analyze single turbines, but analysis of multiple turbines is often desirable because turbines may operate in near proximity within a wind farm. For vertical axis wind turbines, which tend to operate in closer proximity than do horizontal axis turbines, aerodynamic interactions may not be strictly confined to wake interactions. We modified actuator cylinder theory to permit the simultaneous solution of aerodynamic loading for any number of turbines. We also extended the theory to handle thrust coefficients outside of the momentum region and explicitly defined the additional terms needed for curved or swept blades. While the focus of this paper is a derivation of an extended methodology, an application of this theory was explored involving two turbines operating in close proximity. Comparisons were made against two-dimensional unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) simulations, across a full 360° of inflow, with excellent agreement. The counter-rotating turbines produced a 5–10 % increase in power across a wide range of inflow conditions. A second comparison was made to a three-dimensional RANS simulation with a different turbine under different conditions. While only one data point was available, the agreement was reasonable, with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predicting a 12 % power loss, as compared to a 15 % power loss for the actuator cylinder method. This extended theory appears promising for conceptual design studies of closely spaced vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs), but further development and validation is needed.

Power performance enhancement of vertical axis wind turbines by a novel gurney flap design

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Milad Mousavi ◽  
Mehran Masdari ◽  
Mojtaba Tahani
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Power Coefficient ◽  
Lower Amount ◽  
Speed Ratio ◽  
Power Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines ◽  
Gurney Flap

Purpose Nowadays flaps and winglets are one of the main mechanisms to increase airfoil efficiency. This study aims to investigate the power performance of vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) that are equipped with diverse gurney flaps. This study could play a crucial role in the design of the VAWT in the future. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation is used. The second-order finite volume method is used for the discretization of the governing equations. Findings The results show that the gurney flap enhances the power coefficient at the low range of tip speed ratio (TSR). When an angled and standard gurney flap case has the same aerodynamic performance, an angled gurney flap case has a lower hinge moment on the junction of airfoil and gurney flap which shows the structural excellence of this case. In all gurney flap cases, the power coefficient increases by an average of 20% at the TSR range of 0.6 to 1.8. The gurney flap cases do not perform well at the high TSR range and the results show a lower amount of power coefficient compare to the clean airfoil. Originality/value The angled gurney flap which has the structural advantage and is deployed to the pressure side of the airfoil improves the efficiency of VAWT at the low and medium range of TSR. This study recommends using a controllable gurney flap which could be deployed at a certain amount of TSR.

scholarly journals Formulation, Validation, and Application of a Novel 3D BEM Tool for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines of General Shape and Size

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 5874
Author(s):  
Andrea G. Sanvito ◽  
Vincenzo Dossena ◽  
Giacomo Persico
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Blade Profile ◽  
General Shape ◽  
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines ◽  
Shape And Size

Low order models based on the Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory exhibit modeling issues in the performance prediction of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) compared to Computational Fluid Dynamics, despite the widespread engineering practice of such methods. The present study shows that the capability of BEM codes applied to VAWTs can be greatly improved by implementing a novel three-dimensional set of high-order corrections and demonstrates this by comparing the BEM predictions against wind-tunnel experiments conducted on three small-scale VAWT models featuring different rotor design (H-shaped and Troposkein), blade profile (NACA0021 and DU-06-W200), and Reynolds number (from 0.8×105 to 2.5×105). Though based on the conventional Double Multiple Stream Tube (DMST) model, the here-presented in-house BEM code incorporates several two-dimensional and three-dimensional corrections including: accurate extended polar data, flow curvature, dynamic stall, a spanwise-distributed formulation of the tip losses, a fully 3D approach in the modeling of rotors featuring general shape (such as but not only, the Troposkein one), and accounting for the passive effects of supporting struts and pole. The detailed comparison with experimental data of the same models, tested in the large-scale wind tunnel of the Politecnico di Milano, suggests the very good predictive capability of the code in terms of power exchange, torque coefficient, and loads, on both time-mean and time-resolved basis. The peculiar formulation of the code allows including in a straightforward way the usual spanwise non-uniformity of the incoming wind and the effects of skew, thus allowing predicting the turbine operation in a realistic open-field in presence of the environmental boundary layer. A systematic study on the operation of VAWTs in multiple environments, such as in coastal regions or off-shore, and highlighting the sensitivity of VAWT performance to blade profile selection, rotor shape and size, wind shear, and rotor tilt concludes the paper.

The Effect of Number of Blades on the Performance of Helical-Savonius Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Rashidi ◽  
Jaikrishnan R. Kadambi ◽  
Asuquo Ebiana ◽  
Ali Ameri ◽  
James Reeher
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Rotor Design ◽  
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines ◽  
3D Geometry ◽  
Bladed Rotor ◽  
Series Of Experiments

This work presents the results of a series of experiments conducted on three different scaled-down Helical-Savonius vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) systems. The work was aimed at investigating how the number of blades may affect the performance of the Helical-Savonius VAWTs. The first turbine consisted of two helical blades, the second turbine had three blades, and the third turbines had four blades. The work included a design phase in which the three dimensional (3D) geometry of each of three VAWTs were developed using a 3D drawing software. The 3D models were then uploaded to a rapid-prototyping machine to fabricate the VAWTs. The projected areas of each of the VAWTs were that of a rectangle of 4″ × 6″. A test setup was designed and developed to examine the performance of the scaled-down turbines. A 1.1 KW floor fan was used to simulate wind flow in the laboratory for testing of the turbines. A flow straightener was also designed and developed in order to minimize the turbulent flow of the air at the discharge opening of the floor fan. The test results show that the 3-bladed rotor design performs better than the two and four bladed turbines. Under the same wind speed conditions the 3-bladed turbine produced 18% more power compared to the 2-bladed turbine, whereas the 3-bladed turbine produced 30% more power compared to the 4-bladed turbine.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document